Portland's Health Kick Continues at Fern Kitchen, Opening Today in Southeast

Opening today at 2311 SE 50th Ave, Fern Kitchen adds healthy breakfast and lunch options to the newly completed Breathe Building, a green building with a wellness center and yoga studio located two blocks north of SE Division. Tim and Julie Vogt own and operate Fern Kitchen, and they sum up their cooking philosophy as "Feeding Everyone Real Nourishment," or F.E.R.N. Into hot vinyasa followed by a ginger, sweet potato, apple, and butternut-squash juice? This is probably your jam.

Beginning today, Fern Kitchen will be open daily 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. to serve breakfast and lunch. The indoor dining room seats 25, and you'll find grab-and-go items, a juice and smoothie bar, and a coffee bar, as well as complete breakfast and lunch menus.

At the heart of the food at Fern Kitchen is transparent sourcing, and its website lists up front and center the local farmers, bakers, and fishmongers that it works with. Breakfast options include egg and roasted-vegetable bowls and plates of eggs Benedict and smoked salmon hash. For lunch, grilled water buffalo and salmon burgers split the bill with salads, such as the Curry Cauliflower Salad, with quinoa, cauliflower, raisins, cashews, and a curry-citrus vinaigrette.

Fern Kitchen intends to add outdoor seating next spring in the Breathe Building's communal courtyard. "This is an amazing communal space," Julie Vogt told Eater, "that integrates healthy body and mind practices with healthy eating practices, all under one roof." And the courtyard does indeed feature some intricate and beautiful stonework.

For those who want to get to know the restaurant and on-site wellness offerings, the new Breathe Building is having a celebration for all of its businesses on September 25.